1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical character reading apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optical character reading system for reading out images such as characters, recorded on an object such as a document, generally includes a scanner apparatus for detecting document images by optically scanning the document, a character recognition apparatus for executing a character recognition process based on the document image detected by the scanner apparatus, and a control apparatus for controlling the recognition process and the like, and operation of the whole optical character reading system.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are block diagrams illustrating an arrangement of a conventional optical character reading system. As can be seen from FIG. 1, each of a scanner apparatus 1, a character recognition apparatus 2, and a control apparatus 3 is housed in a respective body, and these apparatuses are connected via interfaces thereof by GPIB (general purpose interface bus) cables, or the like. To the control apparatus 3, further connected are peripheral circuits such as a CRT (cathode ray tube) display 4, a keyboard 5, a floppy disk drive (FDD) 6, etc. In FIG. 2, each of a scanner apparatus 1, and character recognition apparatus 2, similar to those of FIG. 1, is housed in a respective body, and a personal computer 7 is provided in place of the control apparatus 3 shown in FIG. 1.
As described above, the conventional optical character reading system include at least three independent bodies. As a result, the conventional system occupies a large area on a floor where it is placed. Further, in order to move the system from place to place, it must be separated into independent bodies. Therefore, when the system is set up in a new place, the independent bodies must be connected again by the cables.
Thus, there has been a great demand for an optical character reading system which is compact, easily transportable, and capable of providing efficient classification, etc., of documents that have been read.